There are things in the Bible that if left unstudied can cause
someone to be suspicious about the character and nature of God. These things
can become stumbling blocks to faith or fuel for skepticism and unbelief. It’s
important to thoughtfully tackle these things lest they become a seed for
confusion. A major concern today (and throughout history) in the hearts and
minds of skeptics and believers regarding the Bible is the question, "Why
would God command the destruction of all those different people in the Old
Testament?" Or, "If God is so good and loving, then how could He have
ordered the total slaughter of certain groups of people in history?" These
are great questions, and if someone is honestly open to hearing great answers
to those questions, I believe this blog can help. There are plenty of better
resources available on the web but I’ll add mine.
After engaging skeptics and unbelievers regarding these questions
I was convinced I needed to study and share what I learned. The following is a
summary of my notes from listening to a discussion between Greg Koukl and Clay
Jones concerning this very topic, as well as reading through the Scriptures and
reading articles on this issue. If you'd like to listen for yourself or follow
up on this topic I would encourage you to visit the links at the bottom of the
page. There you will find more details to fill in the gaps. Well, let’s get
started.
Why did God order the killing of the Canaanites?
Isn’t it wonderful that God answers this very question Himself! We
don’t have to wonder, assume or speculate. Without even having to look outside
the Scriptures in order to address this situation, God Himself answers this
question directly in the Bible.
Let’s first set the stage.
In the Book of Leviticus chapter 18, God commands His own people,
the children or nation of Israel not to
commit certain sins:
1-Adultery 2-Incest 3-Rape 4-Homosexuality 5-Bestiality 6-Etc.
It is because of these behaviors God says He judges nations. And
without showing partiality God said He would also judge His own people, Israel
if they did these things. Now God judges nations in a variety of ways, however
His ultimate or final judgment against sin in this world is through death, both
physical and spiritual. Following death each soul will stand before God in
judgment and give account. In this blog we will deal primarily with judgment in
this life, not the next. And so, you can read for yourself and see in Leviticus
18 that God warns His people not to commit the terrible acts of the pagan
nations that He is finally going to judge. Here God is bringing judgment upon
behavior, not nationality, race, or even belief systems. God promises to judge
any nation that continues to commit these kinds of sinful behaviors, even if
that nation is Israel, God's chosen people. God does not show partiality
however He is very patient.
In Genesis chapter 18 God tells Abraham that He would not destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah if there are 30 righteous people living in it. Through God's
conversation with Abraham we learn that God would not even judge (or destroy)
Sodom and Gomorrah if 10 righteous people lived there. And through this we see
that God in His love and mercy would withhold judgment against a nation because
of a few righteous people living there. In the story of Genesis 18 about Sodom
and Gomorrah we read that the older men and younger boys did not want to repent
of their sin but instead wanted to homosexually rape the 2 visiting angels that
came as representatives of God. Homosexual behavior had become such a
stronghold in Sodom and Gomorrah that the men of that community were now
seeking to rape innocent visitors. God knows sin is a slippery slope.
Now here’s the key, don’t miss this. In Genesis 15:13-16 God tells
us that He put His people in Egypt for 400 years until the sins of the Amorites
had finally reached their full. Then and only then did God decide to bring
judgment against them. We see God here as being 400 years patient and
longsuffering with the sins of the pagan people before He finally brings
judgment. And so the question might be asked, "Why did God order the
killing of the Canaanites 400 years after they had committed these terrible
sins?" God is very patient with the sins of all people.
And remember, we read in Leviticus 18 that God warns His own
people that if they commit the abominations of the heathens, then the land
itself will vomit them out too. This is figurative language for saying that if
the land "vomits them out" then even nature is disgusted with their
behavior. You know it can’t be good when you make the dirt sick enough to throw
up. And in case you forget and think that God was just after those heathens
remember that God showed no partiality with His own people, Israel, and
promised that they too would be judged and removed from the land if they
practiced the same abominable sins as the heathens. It is sin that brings
judgment, not race, gender or age.
And so to summarize what we’ve learned so far:
1-God tells us Himself in the Bible why He slaughtered certain
nations
2-We see that God is very patient, even 400 years patient, giving
individuals and nations time to repent and turn away from sin
3- God brings judgment on sin and evil behavior, not race, gender,
age or nationality.
4- God shows no partiality and promises to judge His own people
should they commit the same sins and abominations.
This might give you some relief just having a little more
understanding, but there are still questions that arise as we think about the literal
“slaughter of thousands of people” and can’t help but wonder if that’s a bit
extreme.
You might be saying to yourself, "But what was so wrong with
those nations, I mean they had their own culture and traditions and ways of
worshiping? What's wrong with that? Why is that an abomination when it's just
their way of life?"
Well, let’s consider for a moment that a people's beliefs always
affect their behavior, and you ultimately become like whatever you worship.
In ancient times the people of Canaan worshiped a god called
"Molech." You can read about this on your own, but there is an
ancient poem about this god Molech. It talks about a bull-headed god named
Molech, who had a sister who was in the form of a cow, and he raped her 77
times, even 88 times, it says. This is very weird and graphic I know, but it
makes a point. This is a poem about a “god” that they worshipped and revered! You
see, just in this poem we have: 1-a pagan god (Molech) 2- rape (the god rapes)
3- incest (the god rapes his sister) 4- bestiality (the god and sister are half
animal) 5- unrepentant continual rape, 77, even 88 times. This poem actually
glorifies the abominations that God was strictly against and spoke about in
Leviticus 18. Through further studies of the ancient god, Molech we can
discover that the worshipers of Molech would actually offer their babies and
children up to Molech by laying their kids upon a burning hot altar and
watching them burn to death. Archaeology has revealed that they would burn
alive kids up to four years old. What seems to be an unimaginable act of
violence towards children was a so called "act of worship" for the
people of Molech. The Bible refers to this abomination in Leviticus 18:21 as
"allowing your sons and daughters to pass through the fires of
Molech." And so we see that this was not some innocent pagan religion and
custom, but a destructive pagan religion that idolized sin and behaviors that
hurt people, destroyed families, and broke down communities. And God, having
great love for all people is passionately against those beliefs and behaviors
that end up destroying lives. He did not tolerate these sins among the pagan
nations, and He did not tolerate them among His own people. We later read in
the Bible that He eventually judged Israel when they backslid into these
terrible sins and themselves burned their children on the altars of Molech. God
loves kids.
Most of the Old Testament prophets are actually preaching against
Israel and calling them to repent of their sins. Often we read of Israel
backsliding into either dead religiosity or flat out pagan rebellion and
idolatry.We read in Jeremiah 5:1 that God tells Jeremiah to walk throughout the
streets of Jerusalem to see if he could find even 1 upright man who seeks the
truth, a righteous person, and God said that if he (Jeremiah) could find one
man that He wouldn't judge Jerusalem. Well, we know the outcome from the Bible
and history; God brought destruction on Jerusalem and Israel because they had
given themselves over to idolatry, hypocrisy, and the abominations of the pagan
nations. But even in this situation God was patient and gave Israel a lot of
time to turn and repent and they did not.
For God not to inflict pain against bad behavior would be like God
removing our nervous system and allowing us to touch the hot burner on the
stove over and over without ever feeling the pain. The pain is there to awaken
us to having made a bad decision and to protect us from destroying ourselves. As
difficult as it is to understand this, God's judgment against nations is His
loving discipline in steering them away from behavior that is destructive, as
well as His way of stopping that behavior from spreading to other nations. God
loves people, He is patient, He sends warnings, He inflicts pain if the
warnings go unheeded, and then He finally puts an end to it lest that sin
influence and infect others.
Let's remember that God is not against "Pagan Races," He
is against "Pagan Religions and Rebellion." We read throughout the
Bible that God has a great love for all nations, that He is the Creator of all
mankind, the God of over all nations, the King of kings, and if a pagan nation
or pagan person turns from sin and trusts in Him then God honors them and
preserves them. We see that played out especially in the story of Jonah. The
story of Jonah is not primarily about a man being swallowed by a giant fish,
but about a God who longs to show mercy and grace towards pagan nations who
repent and put faith in Him. The Book of Jonah is really about the nation of
Ninevah not being swallowed up by a Giant God. God was very longsuffering with
the evil and sin of Ninevah. They repented at the warnings of Jonah and God
withheld His judgment because of it.
We also see various examples of individuals like Rahab and Ruth
who were natives of pagan nations and yet chose to put faith in the true God
and join the people of God, and God honored them for it.
So, when it comes to God ordering the slaughter of these pagan
nations it is directly connected to: 1-their sin had thoroughly affected their
entire nation and was destroying lives from within 2-their sin had thoroughly
offended God who had given them plenty of time to repent 3- rather than
allowing them to grow and spread and contaminate other surrounding nations, God
ordered their destruction 4-if they turned away from their sin then God
extended mercy and did not judge them.
This is not about "genocide" or "ethnic
cleansing," but rather a thorough judgment of God against unrepentant sinful
behavior and a protection of the nation of Israel who would ultimately inherit
that specific land. When God ordered the killing of any people it was always,
without fail, directly connected to their sinful behavior, idolatry, and
immorality. It was never connected to their particular race or ethnicity or
even non-moral cultural practices or differences. And God never sent judgment
against people simply for "not believing in Him" but for the
accumulation of what their behavior had become. God is holy, and He judges sin
and immorality. God is not a racist and therefore never judges a person based
upon skin color or ethnicity. However, I will say, without apology, that if you
do not believe in the one true Holy God of the Universe, you will inevitably engage
in behavior that is offensive to God and destructive to yourself and others.
Only by being in right relationship with the right God are we able to walk in
ways that please God, bless others and are in our own best interest.
Yet, even with all that said there are still some loose ends and
questions we can’t help but ask.
Why would God order the destruction of animals?
We all love animals. For most of us animals have an innocent and
special place in our hearts. But for others, and thankfully the minority today,
animals represent a twisted and perverted abuse of sexuality. As much as I'm
not interested in talking about bestiality, it is important to the subject at
hand. It's hard to believe that there have been cases in the past and present
of humans having sexual relations with animals. Those who practice bestiality
today are still "in the closet," but nevertheless, they are still
there. Obviously this kind of behavior can be physically and emotionally
damaging to people but, studies have also been done on the behaviors of animals
who have had sex with people, and it is a terrible and scary thing. This kind
perverted behavior does affect the behavior of animals involved. It should go
without saying that the result of humans and animals having sex is never good.
And the studies show that you do not want to be around an animal that is used
to having sex with a person. They are aggressive and potentially violent. Why
does this even matter? Well, perhaps this is a good reason why God commanded
the animals of these grossly sinful nations to be destroyed as well. We
know from reading all of Scripture that God loves animals. But just like
people, when animals become twisted, perverted and a threat to others, it’s
just a matter of time before God feels the need to do something about it. This
is what took place in the ancient Old Testament times and land of Canaan. You
see bestiality (sex with animals) had become a virtue in pagan cultures. Archaeology
confirms this. Remember the poem about the bull-headed god, Molech we read
about earlier? The merging of humans and animals physically and sexually is an
ancient abomination. And God commanded the destruction of the animals as a
judgment on pagan “un-civilizations” and a protection for Israel. You would not
want your children, friends or pets to be around animals that had been used for
sex or sexual acts of worship to false gods. Because these animals had been
manipulated and used for human abominations they were no longer fit for normal
use. And while it would have been impossible to interview each individual
animal to see which ones had been molested by humans, God at times ordered
their entire destruction.
Let’s not forget that God created the animals just like He created
humans and plant life. We read in Genesis chapter 1 that God created animals
even before He created man. God does care about animals, and we read about that
specifically at the end of the Book of Jonah. In the very last verse of Jonah
God tells us that it is His heart to extend mercy, not judgment to people and
animals. We also read throughout God's Law that His people were not to abuse
their animals but care for them responsibly. This is a major contrast from how
pagan nations would handle their animals. God not only created animals but
gives specific instruction in the Bible that we are to be good stewards of
them, not abuse them and especially never have sex with them. It’s strange that
God would even have to tell us not to do that, but He does. Perhaps He knows
better than us how twisted people can become when they stray from God.
Ok, so I see how God could command destroying animals so that they
don’t hurt others, kind of like shooting a rabid dog so that it doesn’t bite
some children, but what about God commanding the destruction of children and
women? Now that just doesn’t seem right. Let’s try to tackle that one.
Why would God order the destruction of women and children?
Let's begin with the women. First of all, God is no sexist. He shows
no partiality and so the women of pagan nations were just as guilty as the men
for the sins and abominations they practiced. We’ve already stated that God
takes sin seriously. Just because someone is a women does not mean they
automatically become less guilty or even innocent of sin. God holds both men
and women responsible for their behavior. These women had participated in the
abominations and sinful acts of pagan worship within these nations. They were
not victims, but criminals as far as God was concerned, just like the men. God
held the women responsible for their sin. These nations had become so
sexualized that these women were lead participant in burning their children on
the altars of Molech. Sexual sin among these women had become commonplace. And
the result of sexual sin is unwanted children. And the place for unwanted
children was the fiery burning altars of Molech. These women were guilty of
burning their children on the altars of Molech as acts of worship along with
other sinful behaviors. God was not going to take it easy on these women nor
did He want them to live and have them influence His people, Israel in their
evil practices.
In God's Law He warns His people, Israel not to take pagan wives
from these communities because they will eventually lead their hearts astray.
It’s a sad testimony when we actually read that this happened in the life of
King Solomon. In 1 Kings 11:1-14 we read that Solomon had taken to himself many
pagan wives of the Moabites, Ammonites,
Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites, and these women were his downfall. And because
he was king, it was a downfall for the entire nation. These women led Solomon
away from being loyal to God and he began to worship the false gods of the
pagans, the god Ashtoreth and even the god Molech. Solomon was completely
responsible for his own sin, and these women were also responsible for their
sin. As a result God brought judgment against Solomon and the nation Israel. We
see played out in the life of Solomon how a man can go from loving God to
becoming addicted to pagan women and eventually worshipping their false gods,
even the child burning god Molech. It’s worse than backsliding, and you can
only imagine how upset God was about this. But let's not forget that there are
examples in the Bible of pagan women, turning away from sin, leaving their
pagan religions, putting faith in the true God, and being spared judgment.
Rahab and Ruth are just two examples of this.
And so, why would God order the destruction of these pagan women
alongside the men? Because the women were just as guilty as the men and deserving
of God’s judgment. Should these women be left alive and incorporated into the
nation of Israel they would have brought in all their sinful practices and
idolatries. Let’s not forget how patient God was with them before He brought
judgment, He was 400 years patient with both men and women. However, with all
that said, God always left room for repentance and salvation to those who
reached out to Him in truth.
So, we see how God can be firm with both men and women of pagan
nations who abuse God’s patience and continue to commit terrible sins against
God and one another, but what about children. The Bible actually says that God
commanded the destruction of men, women, animals and children! Now this is hard
to stomach.
Let's consider why God would order the
destruction of children.
Having children myself I must say this is the one that on the
surface poses the greatest emotional difficulty for me. A person’s love for
their children or children in general naturally leads us to hate the thought of
any child dying. To think that God could be both good and command the
destruction of children seems instinctively contradictory. This is a difficult
Bible dilemma. But it is in these very difficult Bible questions and dilemmas that
we should, rather than ignoring them or assuming the worst about God, choose to
seek out quality answers that are Biblically supported and consistent with the
character and nature of God. There are hard questions that require us to dig a
little deeper, control our knee-jerk emotions, and prayerfully and thoughtfully
swim into the deep end of God’s revelation and the hard truths about history.
Now, we do not want to make up an answer in an attempt to simply "defend"
God, but rather investigate the Bible, history and culture to see if an honest
study of the issues will shed greater light on the subject. Often times, our
emotional distaste for something will paralyze us from moving forward and
seeking good answers to hard questions. While I do not think that the answers I
have acquired so far will completely eliminate the emotional struggle we all
have with considering God's command to kill even the children, I do feel that
these answers can bring us closer to understanding the big picture, rather than
jumping to assumptions about the specifics. There are other ways of
interpreting the information about this difficult subject. Some have considered
the language to be hyperbole and not literal and others question the actual
inspiration of the particular passages at hand. But I am committed to taking God
at His word, especially if He takes the time to explain in His word why He
would command such a difficult judgment. And we can also evaluate these “war
time” situations practically to see if we can’t understand why God might choose
to work a certain way.
So, why would God order the destruction of kids?
Well, let me ask you a question, “At what age would you choose to
spare a kid? 18 years old? 12 years old? 10, 5, 3 years old?” At what age do we
feel God should say, "Spare kids this age, but destroy kids this
age?" That's not an easy question. And we know some kids grow up quicker
than others and look more adult, act more adult and fight like adults. And some
adults still look like kids. In the heat of a bloody battle at what age do you
think you should spare the enemy’s children? These are tough things to think
about. We might be inclined to say, "If you have to kill all the men,
women and animals then at least spare ALL the kids." But in times of war
things can't always be so cut and dry. Think about it, practically speaking,
are the soldiers supposed to go around and ask each child their age to see if
they're too young to be killed? In war-time, that is not going to happen no
matter how much we would want it to. Not to mention that often times the kids
were employed in battle and fought like men. The kids were soldiers too. The
soldiers of Israel were to go in and fight, not interview kids. Remember, God
used these wars to judge nations for their sin, and His judgment was often
swift, bloody and thorough. After patiently giving these nations time to repent
He then sent in judgment to clear out the people, animals and even burn up the
idols leaving little or no hint of their abominable pagan practices to
influence others.
Something else we need to remember is that when it comes to
judging a nation for its sin, we must remember that even the kids were caught
up in a pagan culture that practiced all kinds of abominations from adultery,
to rape, to incest, to homosexuality, to bestiality, and the worship of false
gods. These kids were officially programmed by their culture even in their
adolescence to believe and behave in ways that are totally offensive to God. Remember
the story from Genesis, how even the young boys alongside the older men wanted
to rape the angelic visitors? Those kids had been immorally indoctrinated by an
evil culture and as a result both young and old were guilty before God and
deserving judgment. I know from personal experience that I have committed many
of my worst sins in my youth and teens. From 13 years old up into my twenties
there was nothing "innocent" about my beliefs or behaviors. As a
matter of fact, my behavior then was extremely destructive to myself as well as
others. As a 15 year old I was already capable of practicing great evil, and if
left unrestrained who knows how much harm I would've caused. Youth
are not innocent when it comes to being guilty of sin. Youth are often the
first to indulge in it and promote it.
God was not only judging these pagans but wanting to protect His
people from being infiltrated, influenced and infected with idolatry and
immorality.
I've heard from those who have adopted children that even at the
age of 4, 5, and 6 years old, an adopted or foster child brings their culture
with them into their new family. And so, the pagan kids of the Canaanites, even
by the age of 4 and 5 years old may have already been molested or abused
sexually, and therefore have been highly sexualized by their pagan culture and
communities. As a result they are most likely to repeat the same behaviors to
their children, siblings or others in the community. It is often those who have
been molested or sexually violated that molest and violate others. This is how
a community and culture dissolves over time. Sinful practices are passed down
from generation to generation as children just repeat what was done to them. So
why not have the Jews adopt those pagan kids rather than destroy them? Well, if
some traditional God fearing Jewish family were to bring into their home a
pagan child, or children who had been sexualized, molested and exposed to
bestiality and idolatry, what kind of influence do you think that child might
bring into the community of Israel. Or, what would that child’s “teenage
rebellious phase” look like after they find out that their adopted parents
killed their national people, their natural parents and even their pets? These
pagan kids, if left spared and incorporated into Israel would have resented
Israel completely and eventually rebelled. It is natural for kids to want to
return to the "roots and traditions" of their natural parents. Its possible that the children would eventually rise up and avenge the death of their parents just perpetuating a cycle of violence. As
uncaring as it may sound, the inclusion of kids who have been warped by the
worship of pagan gods, sexual abominations and rebellion, into the community of
Israel would put the nation of Israel in jeopardy of being infected from
within. This would not only damage God's plan for the people of Israel at the
time, but could potentially destroy His long term plans for maintaining the
prophetic lineage of the Messiah who would ultimately offer forgiveness and
redemption to the entire world, every nation, and every tribe and tongue. God
always has His big picture plan in mind in every decision He makes. This is
speculation, but perhaps from God's perspective, killing every man, woman, child
and animal was God's means of thoroughly eradicating a grotesquely sinful
culture, while at the same time protecting other men, women, children and
animals. Perhaps God was keeping the children and animals of Israel from
eventually being molested by ordering the destruction of the pagan kids along
with the pagan adults and animals. Here God’s judgment is also His mercy.
Now, I know what you're thinking, "Wait, it’s not God's heart
to kill kids who have been abused, but rather to adopt them and assist them
in overcoming their abuse through love and truth, through
Christ!" This is absolutely true. God does have a special heart for
orphans. And perhaps this is why in every single case God did not order the
complete annihilation of all the people conquered, but in certain cases made
provisions for them to be cared for or even taken as servants rather than
killed. God is omniscient (all knowing) and perfectly understood each
situation, nation and every individual involved and therefore His judgment was
not exactly the same every time. We can read about God's loving heart for pagan
children in the Book of Jonah when the final verse of the book says that God is
looking to extend His pity, not His wrath, toward more than 120,000 kids who
don't know their right hand from their left, and even spare the animals. I hope
you catch this. You see God desired to save the pagan children of Nineveh
through the preaching of Jonah, but He did not change His conditions,
standards, or requirements for their salvation. The people of Nineveh needed to
repent and turn from their evil in order to be spared, which they did. However,
had they refused to repent, God would have destroyed all adults, children and
animals.
In regard to the killing of pagan children it is important to remember
that this blog is addressing the issue of God commanding the Israelites to kill
the men, women, children and animals of the unrepentant pagan nations that
inhabited the land of Canaan at that time. What God commanded Israel to do to
the Canaanites thousands of years ago is not what God has commanded Christians
today to do. God had a purpose for Israel and establishing them in the land of Canaan.
The development and establishment of the nation of Israel played a vital part
in bringing Jesus into the world at the appointed time. Now that Christ has
come God has commanded His followers to go out into the world to reflect God’s
heart towards all people, to bring the message of salvation to them and not
judgment upon them. Christianity therefore brings the message of Christ not a
military conquest.
Another important detail to remember is that God’s command for
Israel to bring destruction to the Hittites, Ammonites, and Canaanites was a
localized mission and not a global mission. The pagan communities that lived
within the region of Canaan that God was giving to Israel were to be wiped out
because of their sin, but Israel was not commanded to go to war against pagan
nations outside of those boundaries and out into other parts of the world. This
was not a “holy-war” being declared upon the whole world, but rather a
localized judgment against unrepentant nations who were occupying land that God
had promised to the descendants of Abraham for a specific purpose. God was
strategically placing the nation of Israel centrally in the world and
specifically at the junction of intersecting trade routes in order for Israel
to be a light and witness to all nations that the God of Israel is the One true
God and Creator of heaven and earth. Through their witness and character the
world would be able to see what God was like in contrast to the multitudes of
pagan gods and idols.
As we conclude, let us remember that God Himself is the Author,
Creator, and Sustainer of life and therefore He has every right to bring life
into this world, or remove life from it. This grinds upon us because we
internally feel as though we have some "right" to live, even after
having sinned against God as many times as we have. The Bible says in Romans
6:23 that the wages of sin is death, and so for us to live another day or
continue to live years is not our entitlement, but God's mercy.
The great Flood recorded in the Book of Genesis came upon the
earth because the wickedness of mankind had become so great that God destroyed
every single person on the planet except for 8 people; Noah, his wife, his 3
sons and their wives. And even then God cared about the animals enough to
preserve at least 2 of each kind. God brought judgment and salvation
simultaneously; judgment upon sin men and salvation to a man of faith and his
family.
In Genesis chapter 3 through the sin of Adam and Eve, God
sentences the entire human race to death, young and old. We are born into a
world of death. This is our reality.
In Luke chapter 13 Jesus was confronted about the way some people
had died and He responds to the problem of sin and death. He basically said,
everyone is going to die, and He didn't argue that some were worse sinners than
others, but that all will die regardless. You see, we think everyone has the
"right" to live out a long life and die in their sleep at the age of
80 years old. But in Genesis 3 God sends a curse upon the world, upon people,
animals and the land, and so now we have cancer, bacteria and diseases,
volcanoes, violence, etc. Adam was the head of the human race when he sinned,
and all of us, being yet unborn within the DNA of Adam, sinned with him and
receive the same consequence as though it was us who had sinned in the Garden.
And if it offends you that Adam was your spokesman before God through his act
of disobedience, and you don't like being declared a sinner because of
something you didn't do, then you should also be offended at the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. You see, the Bible declares in Romans 5 that through the
righteous act of one Man, Jesus Christ, God can now declare those who identify
with Him as saved, forgiven and righteous in His sight. We were declared
sinners through no act of our own, and we are declared righteous through no act
of our own, but by faith in Jesus Christ. This is offensive to those who do not
believe and a wonderful truth and hope to those who do believe. We were born in
sin through our identification with Adam and therefore we choose to sin
personally. And we are reborn through our identification with Jesus and
therefore we choose to walk in righteousness personally.
It could be that we do not understand nor hate sin enough to see
how God's order to destroy the Canaanites, or even us for our own sin, is
completely and totally consistent with the character of a holy, loving and good
God.
For the person who is not a follower of Jesus Christ, who is not
saved, and does not have eternal life I say this to you, "It is easy to
understand why you insist on preserving your life here in this world, because
you have a fear of death. This life in this world is all you have and apart
from receiving Jesus Christ and being born again you have no hope for the next
world or the next life. Right now this is the only heaven you know and the
clock is ticking before God's judgment is going to come upon your sin, and the
destruction is eternal. Please sincerely turn from your sin and trust in Jesus
and God will spare you. Even though you will eventually die in this world,
should the Lord delay His second coming, you will still live for
eternity."
But for the believer, the Christian, the follower of Christ, we
should realize that most of our problems stem from not understanding 2 things:
1-the sinfulness of humanity and ourselves 2- the glories that await the
children of God. We commit a double sin when we deny our own sinfulness and
forget God's goodness. God is preparing us to rule and reign with Him for
eternity. This world is not our final destination or our only hope. And God in
His wisdom uses a world of suffering to prepare His kids to reign forever in
eternity.
Let’s close with a quick summary of the territory we’ve covered in
trying to answer the question, “Why did God order the killing of the
Canaanites?”
1-God answers this question Himself in the Scriptures. Genesis 15:13-16
& Leviticus 18
2-God brings judgment against sin, not race, gender, age or
nationality
3-God shows no partiality and promises the same judgment against His
own people Israel should they commit the same sins
4-God never brought judgment without offering the opportunity for
repentance and salvation
5-God is extremely patient and even waited 400 years before
bringing His judgment against the Canaanites.
6-God brings His judgment against the entire nation, men, women,
children and animals in order to eradicate the sinful behavior and protect
others from being infected with gross idolatry.
7-God’s word gives us examples of individuals and nations
repenting and turning from sin at the warnings of God and as a result God
withholds His judgment and instead extend mercy.
8-God has demonstrated His love for all people by providing a
Savior for the entire world in Jesus Christ.
9-God is the Author of life and can give and take life at His will
without having to explain Himself.
10-God is serious about sin and we should be too.
For a more scholarly and detailed discussion/articles about these
topics go to:
